Cary G Dean.
Now we shall examine Santa's link with the Holly plant.
Dr. Terry Watkins, Th.D.
Dial-the-Truth Ministries
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Corinthians 2:11
And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head (Mark 15:17)
The ever-familiar holly plant that decorates our Christmas world has a very interesting history.
A very interesting history indeed.
The iiex chinensis, better known as holly, is the substantial subject of myths and pagan worship.
For instance, the pagan Romans decorated their houses and temples with the "sacred" holly, which represented their goddess Saturnalia.
By the way, that's where our modern day custom of decorating with holly originated.
Among history's most blatant devil-worshippers were the Druids.
The Druids were known for their human sacrifices and the authors of our Halloween.
(Which is another Pagen Whichcraft event you should keep your children well away from, letting your kid's walk around in the middle of the night knocking on stranger's doors for trick and treat is pure folly)
(Which is another Pagen Whichcraft event you should keep your children well away from, letting your kid's walk around in the middle of the night knocking on stranger's doors for trick and treat is pure folly)
The Druids wore the holly in their hair and considered the "holly" plant sacred, hence the name "holy" or "holly."
The Druids also believed the "holy" berries represented the blood of their Goddess.
(Hmmm. . . I wonder where they got that strange idea from?)
As Christianity began spreading throughout the Roman world, the use of pagan holly was outlawed.
Plant aficionado and author, Virginia Klara Nathan, writes:
"Ancient history says that the Druids used holly in their religious rites long before the custom came to the European continent.
The Druids of ancient Britain and Gaul held the English holly tree sacred.
The 'holy' connotation continued in later days in Europe, where the plant was widely believed to repel evil spirits.
With the coming of Christianity, the use of holly was condemned as a pagan ritual and forbidden by the Christian council."
(Nathan, Virginia Klara. "Red-Berried Hollies." Extension Technician, in The Virginia Gardener Newsletter, Volume 7, Number 12. qtd at )
Nathan also writes as many of the condemned pagan practices, began infilturating Christianity the thorny pagan holly plant became symbolic with the "crown of thorns" that the Lord Jesus Christ wore.
The Germans even refer to the holly plant as Christdorn - meaning,
"Christ's crown of thorns."?
But Christian Romans continued to decorate with holly during festive seasons.
European Christian symbolism included the belief that the spiny leaves and red berries were a reminder of the crown of thorns and the blood of Christ.
The Pennsylvania Dutch held that the plant's white flowers represented Jesus' purity.
They thought holly had white berries until they were stained by Christ's blood.
(Nathan, Virginia Klara. "Red-Berried Hollies." Extension Technician, in The Virginia Gardener Newsletter, Volume 7, Number 12. qtd at )
Not surprisingly, considering the holly plant's storied ancestry, many writers believe the actual "Crown of Thorns" wore by the Lord Jesus Christ, was indeed the familiar "holly" wreath.
Another plant enthusiast writes of the holly plant and it's portrayal of the "crown of thorns":
Holly lost its pagan associations and became a symbol of Christmas, with the sharply pointed leaves symbolising the crown of thorns which Jesus was made to wear prior to his crucifixion, and the berries becoming a symbol of the blood of Christ.
Some refer to Holly as the Holy Tree and claim that it grew in Christ's footsteps.
The white flowers represent Jesus's purity and birth, and the bitter bark is said to represent the passion.
And it is not surprising, one of the many portraits of good 'ol Santa blasphemously portrays him wearing the "holy" crown, symbolic of the Saviour's "crown of thorns."
One author writes of a portrait of Santa or Father Christmas wearing the "Crown of Thorns":
Originating in England, Father Christmas was depicted as a friendly fellow wearing a crown of holly and a scarlet or green fur-lined robe.
This wreath of holly represented the crown of thorns that Jesus wore when He was crucified and the red berries are symbolic of the blood He shed."
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